UNIT 2

NELSON MANDELA: LONG WALK TO FREEDOM

LET'S BEGIN

1. You have read the story about Nelson Mandela in your textbook, First Flight, and the struggle of the people of South Africa. Mandela draws our attention to the meaning and importance of freedom and leading a life with freedom.

He states that freedom comes with responsibilities. Discuss with your peers, how freedom and responsibilities go hand in hand.

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READING COMPREHENSION

TEXT I

Given below is a speech by Sardar Patel, one of the prominent figures of India’s freedom struggle. This is one of the convocation speeches delivered by him. Read the speech and answer the questions that follow.

I must thank you for the affectionate and warm welcome which you have extended to me and for the love and regard which you have shown me by conferring this honour to me. Gifts are of many kinds those achieved by one’s own endeavour are good and deserved, but no gift should be conferred on one whose worthiness has not been tested. By selecting me without assuring yourself of my fitness for the gift, you have laid me under a heavy debt and, by your injunctions that I should continue to prove worthy of it throughout my life, you have imposed on me a very difficult obligation. At present, I cannot say anything because I am bound by your love and affection; and, therefore, with your blessing and God’s grace, I pray that I may prove worthy of it. Should I fail, the blame for my failure will be shared by you as well.

On this occasion, I wish to place before you a few thoughts which occur to my mind as incidental to our hard-won freedom. We have now won our freedom. But just as I am doubtful, if I deserved the honour that you have done me, you have also to think whether you have done everything to deserve freedom that you have attained after such a bitter and sustained struggle.

There are people who think that having won freedom, there is nothing more to do about it. Freedom has come to us through sacrifices. Those who made sacrifices tasted the fruit of their efforts and self-denials, but it is for those who are now enjoying freedom to taste its fruit. After the last World War, there is an all-round deterioration in human standards. People have become self-centered. They have forgotten or ignored the wider interests of the country. The essential and noteworthy features of our struggle were: sacrifice, truth, and non-violence. The weapons of the World War were: violence, brute force, political and military moves, and counter moves. As a result of the churning of the ocean, the world has emitted poison. That poison is spreading all over and there is none to swallow it. The countries which were free have managed to digest it somewhat, but we, who have just attained our freedom, it is hard to do the same. Therefore, those who think that having attained freedom they have attained everything have really attained nothing! The freedom that we have won is yet to be consolidated. The foundations of freedom have to be well and truly laid! This one-year old child has to be nursed and nourished, instructed and strengthened. It is for us to do it and we must do it.

In India today, there is no time for useless controversies and unnecessary debates and disputes. One can indulge in these pastimes when one has time and leisure. At present, we have to occupy ourselves with the all absorbing task of making the foundation of our freedom strong and unassailable. We have to reflect on our place in this broken and destructed world and what our duty and obligations are! If we fail to make the best use of our freedom to make it worthwhile and turn it to our advantage and advancements, future generations will heap curses on us. They will say that a spiritualist, a great soul gave us this precious boon, but we did not know how to retain it and lost it.

The great university of life is full of experiences, but to make full use of those experiences, all of us students, teachers and professors — have to be cautious and on guard.

The most essential requisite is character. If your character is lacking and you leave the precincts of the alma mater without your character fully developed, you will be wasting an opportunity of a lifetime.

You have to realise that India has to attain its rightful place in the comity of nations. The leadership of Asia would be hers if she conducts herself well and if her citizens make their fitting contribution to nation’s resurgence. Whatever trials and troubles we might have passed through, there is no denying the fact that we have a precious inheritance and the teachings we have received from the departed leaders are great assets for us.

India abounds in the resources of nature and manpower. They are awaiting full use. That task must devolve on young men and women. We ourselves were trained in the school of experience. We fought for freedom and we have attained that prize for you. It is now up to you to prove yourself worthy of the same. This you can do only if you work with single-minded devotion to the cause of the country. It is only then that you can deserve this freedom and be proud of it.

The real danger of India lies in our disunity. That poison of communalism was spread in the past. You should draw a curtain over it. Only then could we equip ourselves for the freedom that has come to us. There are still people in the country whose loyalty to India has not settled down. They should and will leave India.

This is the occasion for mutual help and mutual cooperation. We must know what our duty is as true citizens. Your teacher has to impart that duty. Unless we learn to shoulder our responsibility in the true spirit of discipline and citizenship we cannot go ahead. We must strengthen our shoulders and our legs so that we can stand erect and bear the burden that has devolved on us. Then alone would we secure the real objective of freedom.

VOCABULARY

1. Use the following words and phrases in your own sentences.

(a) Precincts ______________________________

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(b) Comity of nations _______________________

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(c) Unassailable __________________________

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(d) Mutual cooperation _____________________

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2. Sardar Patel called upon young students to understand the meaning of freedom and ways to sustain it. Here are two key words which he stressed upon—‘Freedom’ and ‘Responsibility’. Working in pairs, find words and phrases which convey the feeling of these words and write below.

You may have written above at least seven to eight words for each key word. Using the words write at least five sentences describing ‘Freedom’ and ‘Responsibility’. One has been done for you.

Example: Freedom is not free.

GRAMMER

1. You have come across the use of articles ‘a’, ‘an’, and ‘the’ in the lesson. The tasks in the textbook give you the idea that the use of ‘the’ with proper noun carries a special meaning. Read the following paragraph from the speech you have read above. The articles are missing in the paragraph. With the help of your partner, fill in the blanks.

________ weapons of ________ world war were: violence, brute force, political and military moves, and counter moves. As ________ result of ________ churning of the ocean, ________world has emitted poison. That poison is spreading all over and there is none to swallow it. ________ countries which were free have managed to digest it somewhat, but we, who have just attained our freedom, it is hard to do _____________same. Therefore, those who think that having attained freedom they have attained everything, have really attained nothing! ____________ freedom that we have won is yet to be consolidated.

1. ______ boy and ______ girl were shopping in a market. ______ boy was from Kerala and ______ girl was from Nagaland.
2. Can you turn off ______ light?
3. He has taken ______ taxi to ______ station.
4. Is there ______ police station nearby?
5. My sister works in ______ bank.
6. He has been looking for ______ job for the last seven years.
7. Would you like to eat ______ apple?
8. He goes to the theatre once ______ month.
9. This morning I bought ______ newspaper and ______magazine. ______ newspaper is on my table and I forgot where I have placed ______ magazine.
10. We would like to have dinner at ______ good restaurant.

EDITING

1. The following passage has an error in each line. Find the error and write the correct word or words against the line.

I don’t mean that some peoples are born clear headed _________

and is therefore natural writers, whereas others _________

are naturally fuzzy and will never wrote well. _________

Thinking clearly was a conscious act that writers _________

must forced on themselves, as if they were working _________

on any other project that requires logic: makes _________

shopping list or doing an algebra problems. _________

Good writing do not come naturally, _________

though most people seems to think it does. _________

Professional writer are constantly bearded by _________

people who say they’d like to “trying a little _________

writing sometime” — meaned when they _________

retire from their real profession. _________

LISTENING

SPEAKING

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2. Prepare a speech for the morning assembly reflecting on the following questions.

1. How do you feel today about the country’s freedom?
2. Are we free and independent?
3. Are we serious about our responsibilities as citizens?

WRITING

1. The interviewer prepares a questionnaire on Nelson Mandela—Mandela as a person and his contributions to the removal of Apartheid.
2. The interviewee responds to them. The interviewer’s task is to note down the answers also.
3. The interviewer, through the questions, tries to get an overview of Mandela’s life.

For interviewer

For interviewee

2. Make groups of four and find out the background information on Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Gandhi, and Martin Luther King. All three of them fought against all odds and used non-violence to achieve their aim. Choose any two of the above stated leaders and do a comparative study of their principles and lives.

PROJECT

1. Their thoughts
2. Their uniqueness
3. Honesty and integrity
4. Confidence and leadership qualities
5. Inspirational speeches
6. Contributions to free their countries

(Hints: You may develop their profiles in chronological order. You may visit the library. Consult social science teachers in your school and elders in your neighbourhood.)